Discusses and reviews CD-ROM bundles--i.e., hardware, software and CD-ROM kits--including their features, specifications, drawbacks, and prices. Recommends buying through mail order for the best selection and price. The pros and cons of bundling as a marketing strategy are discussed and a list of vendors is provided. (EA)

Describes international standards for information technology, including an emerging standard for interchangeable multimedia and hypermedia scripts. Highlights include data interchange standards; HyTime (Hypermedia/Time-Based Structuring Language); DSSSL (Document Style Semantics and Specification Language); SPDL (Standard Page Description…

An approach to the design of computer systems and applications in which scenarios of human-system interaction are a central working design representation are described and illustrated by examples from the design of a multimedia information system. (Contains 21 references.) (KRN)

Discussion of computerized simulation games focuses on the organization and use of data dictionaries to support more flexible development and maintenance of game administration systems and participants' decision support systems. The roles of game designers, game administrators, and game participants are discussed. (12 references) (LRW)

Analyzes how one disciplinary design heuristic influenced the production of both a computer system and a specification text for the system to investigate how heuristics used for rhetorical invention and design might be related. Indicates that disciplinary heuristics and rhetorical topics overlap in design; however, the rhetorical character of…

Discusses the use of interface metaphors in computer system design. Describes empirical research that shows users can experience cognitive dissonance with metaphors and suggests that the concept of a logical analogue rather than that of a metaphor should guide system designers. (Contains 66 references.) (LRW)

Describes a framework for designing an electronic performance support system (EPSS) that reduces the requirement for more traditional forms of training. An intervention summary table is provided that includes five types of interventions, user access, user type (expert and/or novice), purpose, and difficulty. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of information retrieval and information seeking behavior focuses on a multi-dimensional conceptual model called MISE (multiple information-seeking episodes). Identifies eight different reasons why people engage in multiple information-seeking episodes, characterizes them in terms of traits of Multiple Information Seeking Episode…

The Web has caught the attention of many educators as an efficient communication medium and content delivery system. But we feel there is another aspect of the Web that has not been given the attention it deserves. We call this aspect of the Web its "component architecture." Briefly it means that on the Web one can develop very complex…

This article discusses the pros and cons of open source software, such as Linux. It asserts that despite the technical difficulties of installing and maintaining this type of software, ultimately it is helpful in terms of knowledge acquisition and as a beneficial investment librarians can make in themselves, their libraries, and their patrons.…

In this paper, we present two studies designed to help students navigate effectively and learn from a hypertext system, CoMPASS. Our first study ("N" = 74) involved an analysis of students' navigation patterns to group them into clusters, using a "k"-means clustering technique. Based on this analysis, navigation patterns were grouped into four…

As more educators serve as "Web masters" of Web sites for courses, they soon discover that as a site grows it becomes increasingly inconsistent and more difficult to manage. The situation results, to some extent, from the fact that there is a lot learned along the way and the site represents a growing level of expertise. However, it also arises…

Over the last decade, the needs of educational organizations have been changing in accordance with increasingly complex pedagogical models and with the technological evolution of e-learning environments with very dynamic teaching and learning requirements. This book explores state-of-the-art software architectures and platforms used to support…

The level of learners' expertise has been used as a metric and diagnostic mechanism of instruction. This metric influences mental effort directly according to the applications of cognitive load theory. Cognitive efficiency, an optimal measurement technique of expertise, was developed by Kalyuga and Sweller to replace instructional efficiency in…

Toward the goal of better e-book design to support early literacy learning, this study investigates analytic tools for examining design qualities of e-books for young children. Three research-based analytic tools related to e-book design were applied to a mixed genre collection of 50 e-books from popular online sites. Tool performance varied…